Return of The Homie: Dario Saric headlines key numbers in Sixers' win

Return of The Homie: Dario Saric headlines key numbers in Sixers' win

The Philadelphia 76ers bounced back from an ugly loss to the Brooklyn Nets with a 100-94 win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday. The victory was the team’s first on the road this season after a 0-5 start away from Wells Fargo Center. Let’s dig in to some of the key numbers from the win.

18: Points for Dario Saric

Saric has struggled mightily so far this season, but Wednesday served as a bit of a breakout. The 24-year old got his 18 points on 6-13 shooting. More importantly, he was 4-6 from beyond the arc. Saric entered the game hitting just 23 percent from beyond the arc and had gone 3-19 over the past five games. He provided a huge boost for the Sixers in this win, adding seven rebounds and two assists. His 18 points were a season-high, as were his four made 3-pointers.

A lot of blame for the team’s early struggles has fallen on Markelle Fultz, Ben Simmons, the coach, and the bench, but Dario’s struggles have been well-documented. Saric playing the way most expected him to would go a long way towards easing some of the early-season concerns. It was good to see him take a step in that direction.

8: Steals and blocks by the Sixers

The Sixers made some impact plays on the defensive end against Indiana, recording eight steals and eight blocks.

Markelle Fultz swiped four steals on his own, while Joel Embiid led the way with three blocks. Robert Covington, who had a solid night for the team, showed why he was First Team All-Defense with two steals and two blocks.

Containing Victor Oladipo proved to be a challenge, but overall the defense was good and it was nice that the team was able to compile some defensive stats.

14: Markelle Fultz’s plus/minus

Fortunately, there was a “+” in front of this number.

For the third time in four games, Fultz finished with the second-best plus/minus on the team. While the narrative continues to revolve around his shot and stat lines, the second-year guard has quietly been having as much of a positive impact as anyone on the team. Fultz may still be looking for the huge statistical breakout, but he is doing things on the court to help the team win.